Would you go on holiday with your best friend's partner?

TV PRESENTER Mariella Frostrup this week revealed she and her two children had gone on holiday with her best friend’s partner after her lawyer husband Jason McCue had to drop out at the last minute due to work commitments.

He shared one cabin with her son while she and her daughter occupied the other one. Frostrup pronounced the minibreak “an unqualified success” but who would undertake a trip so fraught with marital danger?

Here we ask some well-known women for their views on a very novel arrangement.

JENNI MURRAY, Radio 4 presenter.

I don’t think I would ever ask a friend if I could borrow her partner to take on holiday.

I’d rather take the friend herself! I just don’t see any point in opening the door for eyebrows to be raised or questions to be asked about the nature of the arrangement, even if it’s perfectly platonic and innocent.

However if a friend approached me to borrow my own husband to take on holiday my reply would be: “You’re welcome, love!”

JENNIE BOND, former BBC royal correspondent.

I can totally envisage going on holiday with a friend’s partner.

A couple of friends come to mind.

I live in a lovely community in south Devon and we’re all great mates and I just can’t imagine there would be any question of jealousy because we all trust each other implicitly.

I’m great mates with the men as well as great mates with my girlfriends.

I think it’s also something that comes with age.

I was 64 yesterday and think with age comes a better understanding of yourself and your relationships and friendships.

And as friendships become deeper no way would you let a little thing like sex get in the way of something so important.

Penny Smith with her partner Vince Leigh [THE PICTURE LIBRARY]

You never know what can of worms you could open up

Virginia Blackburn, Express columnist

JILLY COOPER, best-selling novelist, whose books include The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous.

I’d be terrified.

In my case if there was a bottle of rosé or two bottles of rosé goodness knows what might have happened.

I’d definitely pick a plain husband.

And people talk don’t they?

In terms of pitfalls you might fall in love with each other.

If he was that much nicer than your husband and that much more caring you might suddenly think: “Perhaps I should go for a better option.”

Maybe people should put on chastity belts to go away with other people’s husbands to see how beautifully they behave because everyone behaves well with new people don’t they?

Mariella is lovely and clever and wonderful and she’s a very funny writer and so she was obviously writing a funny piece – but I’d be nervous myself I must say.

KATHY LETTE, Australian author whose latest book Courting Trouble is out this week.

When I’m on a book tour so many women tell me how their husbands have had affairs with their best girlfriends.

This is basically because most men are so lazy they can’t be bothered to look anywhere else but on their doorstep.

So going on holiday with a best friend’s partner could be dangerous.

But as long as he doesn’t think that monogamy is something you make dining room tables out of, or believes that when he’s away it’s a case of any port in a storm – then, yes it could be a perfect partnership.

This is because women tell each other everything.

When we’re together we strip to our emotional underwear and it’s a psychological striptease which reveals all.

So basically you know all of his faults or foibles already.

There can’t be any ugly surprises.

Plus he’s bound to be on his best behaviour.

This means you can have fun, frivolity and lots of fl irtation in a totally safe way.

As long as you know he’s not predatory.

I know both couples really well.

We’re all in love with Vince but as good girlfriends we love Penny even more.